Devices for housing birds have been proposed in the past. Most such devices, however, do not allow viewing of the birds once they are inside of the house. This type of viewing would be highly desirable, and would add to the enjoyment of the birdhouse owner.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 245,927 discloses a design for a glass birdhouse. While a glass birdhouse would allow the birds inside to be observed, the birds would also be able to see their observer, thereby creating the possibility that the birds will be startled or otherwise distracted.
German Patent No. 3,620,449 discloses a bird or animal hide or house which is provided with a transparent wall having a periscope-type mirror arrangement connected thereto. The transparent wall cooperates with the mirror arrangement to permit birds or animals to be observed without harmful intrusion. Such a device, however, is limited to viewing by one observer at a time as a result of its use of the periscope-type mirror arrangement. In addition to increasing construction costs due to its complexity, the periscope-type mirror arrangement also necessitates that the observer be in fairly close proximity to the birdhouse, thereby creating the possibility that the birds will be startled or otherwise distracted.